Looking at them, He Lingchuan felt quite pleased with himself. Making friendly inroads with man-eating monsters was never easy. His original plan had been to use the turtle pearl, but an inspiration had struck him, and by dangling an official commission out of thin air, he had secured the Crocodile God's aid without spending a single coin.
Power and authority—such leverage was truly far too convenient. No wonder his old man was so intoxicated by it.
By the time He Lingchuan finished eating seven or eight large flatbreads, the bandits had concluded their deliberations, and Wu Shaoyi walked over with his men.
"Does this force under Governor-General He have a designation?"
"Of course." He Lingchuan took a sip of water. "It is called the Auxiliary Army."
This had also been the outcome of discussions between He Chunhua and his aides. He had originally intended to name this core force that he was taking directly to Xiazhou the Blackwater Army, but He Yue and the aides had voiced vehement objections, arguing that naming it after its place of origin seemed far too petty.
"We are willing to join, but I require at least the rank of vice general, and my brothers must each be granted fitting posts."
"Acceptable." He Lingchuan gave it some thought. "Given your seniority, General Wu, serving as a vice general in the army is more than fitting. But I must say this upfront: your men may eventually be split up and integrated across the entire army."
This was standard practice to prevent cliques from forming. Wu Shaoyi raised no objection; rather, this candor made him feel slightly more reassured about He Lingchuan's promise.
If the young man had simply agreed to everything without hesitation, it would have seemed far more like empty talk.
"Then let us discuss our next move." Wu Shaoyi found a tree stump and sat down.
He had only just recovered from severe wounds. Though he had utilized a forbidden technique to displace the physical damage onto another, his massive blood loss had been entirely real. He still had not replenished it, and his face remained pale.
He had already swallowed several pills meant to replenish blood and restore qi, and he was currently chewing on aged ginseng, which was the only reason he had managed to stave off dizziness and shortness of breath.
He knew very well that what he needed most right now was a giant basin of old hen soup brewed with ginseng, consuming every bit of meat and broth, and then sleeping for a full day and night.
Nothing replenished blood better than sleep.
Unfortunately, circumstances did not allow for it. The prefect's eldest son before him was waiting for him to establish his first merit since yielding.
And so Wu Shaoyi picked up a twig and began sketching upon the gravelly beach:
"Regarding West Mountain Road, the various forces ahead have already gotten far away. Pursuing them on horseback will not be easy, and we likely will not be able to rendezvous with Commandery Governor He."
He Lingchuan recognized that what he was drawing on the ground was the terrain of the surrounding mountains.
"Because we intended to join forces at Xianling Village, I sent scouts in advance to survey the local geography. Here, the mountains follow the water. From Desheng Town to Xianling Village, the ridges essentially flank the upper reaches of Xianling Lake," Wu Shaoyi said. "The overland route is difficult to traverse. Why don't we switch to the water route instead?"
"Go by boat?" He Lingchuan turned to look at the wooden pier by the lake. "There aren't enough vessels, are there?"
There were only seven or eight boats moored by the shore, one of which was fairly large, but even so, they could carry at most a hundred or so men. Otherwise, Lu Yao would have abandoned his horses long ago and taken boats to intercept the government troops.
"Boats alone are not enough, but do not forget about them." Wu Shaoyi pointed toward the giant crocodiles along the shore. "Men can stand on their backs as well—especially the Crocodile God. It alone can carry sixty or seventy men."
The Crocodile God was over five zhang long—more than seventeen meters—wider and longer than ferry boats on some major rivers. If men stood on its back, squeezing shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, several dozen people could indeed pack onto it.
Back then, Lu Yao had not dared entertain such ideas because his agreement with the Crocodile God had already concluded, and the creature had been under no obligation to help him further.
He Lingchuan, however, was different. The Crocodile God now belonged to the government—or rather, was the government's crocodile.
"If the vanguard of two hundred men travels by water, whether for an ambush or to provide support, it can already resolve the pressing emergency," Wu Shaoyi continued. "The rest can take the overland route on horseback."
Seeing He Lingchuan sink into silent contemplation, Wu Shaoyi added, "The most urgent task right now is to contact Pei Xinyong."
"Contact Pei Xinyong?"
"Correct. He commands sixteen hundred men and is currently the most significant force on West Mountain Road. If he aids the government soldiers, their odds of victory will increase immensely; if he aids the villain Lu, Commandery Governor He will face catastrophe."
He Lingchuan's expression shifted markedly. "You're right!"
Left aside until now, the Crocodile God spoke up at a leisurely pace, "Where are you heading?"
"The seven hundred men Lu Yao stationed at Shaozi Crag never appeared, which means Pei Xinyong successfully intercepted them. Since those seven hundred cannot advance eastward, they can only retreat westward." He Lingchuan pointed at the mountain sketch on the ground as he analyzed the situation. "That means we not only need to outpace the government troops, but ideally, we must get ahead of Pei Xinyong as well."
"From Xianling Village to Shaozi Crag is still several li, not to mention that counting from last night when Lu Yao launched his signal arrow, Pei Xinyong must have started three double-hours ahead of us."
It had still been dark when Pei Xinyong intercepted the ambush at Shaozi Crag, and the sun was already high in the sky now.
Hearing this, Wu Shaoyi smiled instead. "The mountain roads are rugged, so they could not have traveled very far. By water, we can catch up in no time."
The mountain paths here were far more than nine twists and eighteen turns—they had eighty-eight bends and more.
Beside them, however, stretched the vast, unhindered waters of the lake, ready for smooth sailing. That was why the villagers of Xianling Village preferred traveling by boat whenever they entered or left the mountains, whether carrying passengers or cargo.
Wu Shaoyi prodded a spot on the rough map. "It would be best to set the terminus of the water route at Desheng Town. It sits along the river, so there should be a dock."
Where there was a dock, there would be roads suitable for foot travelers and carriages.
"That place is occupied by Lu Yao's rebels, and several hundred men are reportedly guarding the town," He Lingchuan objected. "Are we really going there?"
"Even if we arrive by water, we won't have horses. How else are we to pursue Pei Xinyong?" Wu Shaoyi chuckled. "Lu Yao always keeps his elites by his side. The men left behind in the town are in all likelihood second-rate troops meant solely to guard his rear. Our two hundred men can catch them completely off guard."
This young master He was still young and lacked experience in warfare. With proper coordination, launching a surprise raid with two to three hundred men against a camp of two to three thousand was by no means unheard of.
He then continued, "According to the division of labor I agreed upon with Pei Xinyong last night, I was to deal with the villain Lu, while he intercepted the seven hundred ambushers at Shaozi Crag and came to meet me afterward. Therefore, he will not pursue them all the way to Desheng Town. At most, he will turn back at Zhumapo. That place is easily defended and difficult to attack; as long as he leaves two hundred men to hold it, they can hold out for a time even if Lu Yao's remnants ahead attempt a counterattack."
He Lingchuan nodded. "We also estimated that once Lu Yao's seven hundred ambushers at Shaozi Crag were attacked, they would flee toward Desheng Town. It is human instinct to seek safety, and fleeing back to their stronghold leaves them able to defend or strike. Thus, Pei Xinyong would naturally pursue them toward Desheng Town as well. To prevent him from turning back midway, Commandery Governor He's column planned to veer early onto a fork in the road and head for Qianteng Town."
When He Chunhua initially devised this strategy, he had to account for the risk of Pei Xinyong turning back. After all, that was a bandit chieftain commanding well over a thousand men; if he ran head-on into government troops, how could blood not run hot?
Fortunately, while the second half of the route entering Xianling Village from the outside was a single track, heading out from the village—especially westward—offered several successive forks, providing He Chunhua's forces with greater strategic buffer.
Chapter 138